An Osun State High Court, sitting in Ikirun, convicted and sentenced to death Segun Olowookere, who was 17 years old at that time, for stolen fowl and eggs in a poultry farm in Oyan, Odo-Otin local government.
Olowookere, who has been in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison since 2014, is the son of his parents.
Ahead of the second anniversary of Governor Ademola Adeleke administration, the parents of Segun Olowookere, indigenes of Osun State, pleaded with the governor to grant their son amnesty over stolen fowl and eggs.
The parents also appealed to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adewale Egbedun, to intervene in the matter.
Segun’s mother, Mrs. Folashade Olowookere, appealed to Governor Adeleke to grant his son amnesty. “I want to plead with our amiable governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to please use his office to release my son. We have sold our properties to secure his release since he was convicted in 2014. He is a brilliant boy who has a brighter future ahead of him. We must not allow him to waste the peak of his life within the four walls of the prison.
“The speaker of the House of Assembly is from our town; we also plead for his intervention in this case. Also, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice should also help us. Segun has a promising future and can be useful to society,” the mother pleaded.
Segun’s father, Mr. Olanrewaju Olowookere, who also pleaded for mercy for his son, said Segun was never involved in a crime.
The father claimed that his son was arrested in his shop while playing with some of his friends, saying the arrest was a setup.
He said, “At this point, all we need is the assistance of His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke, to grant amnesty to our son. We have been in grief since he was sentenced. We have not experienced any kind of happiness. Nobody will be happy seeing his only son in jail.”
In response to Segun Olowookere’s parents plea, Governor Adeleke ordered an immediate investigation into the death sentence over fowl and eggs theft.
In a terse statement on social media, Adeleke wrote, “I have received the report of a case of a young man reportedly sentenced to death by hanging in Osun state for stealing a fowl.
“Consequently, I have directed the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Osun state, to commence a full investigation into the matter and initiate processes to grant prerogative of mercy to the young man,” the Osun governor stated.
“Osun is a land of justice and equity and must ensure fairness and protection of the sanctity of lives”, he added.
Adeleke assured members of the public that the case is receiving his direct attention with every sense of urgency.
